It's game-time.
Let's skip the needless preamble and get down to business.
1)
Hurlóg
Meanwhile in Kilkenny pic.twitter.com/j0oYD3VOCZ
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) December 24, 2016
Available in various sizes, the Hurlóg is the best way to guarantee that the bambino in your life will line out for the county in due course. It is, essentially, a teddy hurl (not to be confused with a Teddy McCarthy hurley). And it comes with a soft, foam sliotar to belt around the living room.
It's been said that Henry Shefflin left the womb wielding a hurlóg. You can turn your little niece or nephew into a fine, wristy hurler with one of these bad boys this Christmas.
Price: €22.99
Available: Smyths Toys, some sportswear stores. TheGAAStore.com.
2)
Football Manager 2017
As you're aware, we're massively fond of Football Manager here at Balls HQ. In fact, when was the last time you heard a football fan tell you they didn't enjoy Footy Manager? But, on the off-chance you're unfamiliar, just a word of warning: This isn't a suitable gift for someone who, say, you do want to hear from again in the next 12 months. It could also ruin their life, but such are the rigours of football management at the second-highest level.
Price: €39.99
Available: All gaming stores, Steam
3)
Drama In The Bahamas, by Dave Hannigan
Drama In The Bahamas is an ideal Christmas gift for any sport-lover in that its subject, Muhammad Ali, is universally adored by fans of all sports. Dave Hannigan's second superlative read on The Greatest became all the more poignant with Ali's passing last summer.
As Malachy Clerkin wrote in the Irish Times when he named it one of his sports books of the year:
...a brilliant piece of reportage, full of quirks and factoids from an almost unrecognisable time and place. If it was fiction, it would be thoroughly enjoyable. The fact that it’s all appallingly true makes it too grim for that.
Happy Christmas!
Price: Roughly €16
Available:All good book stores.
4)
JML Hoverball
After years of being squawked at for performing ridiculously elaborate stepovers before showing your sister a clean pair of heels in the middle of the hallway, you can finally play football in the comfort of your own home.
Price: €15.99
Available: homestore and more, Argos
5)
The North Face eTip Gloves
There's nothing more annoying than trying to use a touchscreen phone while wearing gloves. In a more accurate sense, there are many things more annoying, but it's still pretty fecking annoying.
North Face's new eTip gloves, despite their ridiculously high tech-sounding name, allow you to open notifications without risking frostbite, thanks to their 'Etip functionality'. Basically, they have a grip on the palm side.
They are, essentially, the only pair of gloves anybody will ever receive and not think, 'Ah for f-'. Mind you, you'll probably have to explain it to them first.
Price: €25-35
Available: Outdoor stores
